Intelligent controller providing time to target state

Abstract

The current application is directed to intelligent controllers that continuously, periodically, or intermittently calculate and display the time remaining until a control task is projected to be completed by the intelligent controller. In general, the intelligent controller employs multiple different models for the time behavior of one or more parameters or characteristics within a region or volume affected by one or more devices, systems, or other entities controlled by the intelligent controller. The intelligent controller collects data, over time, from which the models are constructed and uses the models to predict the time remaining until one or more characteristics or parameters of the region or volume reaches one or more specified values as a result of intelligent controller control of one or more devices, systems, or other entities.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An intelligent controller that controls an environment, the intelligent controller comprising:
 a processor; 
 a memory that stores a control schedule; 
 a current control schedule stored in the memory; 
 one or more sensors that sense current values of an environmental parameter; 
 instructions stored within the memory that, when executed by the processor, control the intelligent controller, during a response time following an immediate-control input or a scheduled setpoint change recorded in the control schedule, to
 at each of multiple points in time,
 record, in the memory, a current value for the environmental parameter, 
 when the environmental parameter values recorded in memory fit a local model for change in the parameter with time,
 determine a remaining response time using the local model, storing the determined response time in memory, and displaying the remaining response time on a display device, and 
 
 when the environmental parameter values do not fit a local model but fit a global model,
 determine a remaining response time using the global model, storing the determined response time in memory, and displaying the remaining response time on the display device. 
 
 
 
 
     
     
       2. The intelligent controller of  claim 1  wherein the processor includes one or more of:
 one or more local processors; and 
 one or more remote processors. 
 
     
     
       3. The intelligent controller of  claim 1  wherein the memory includes one or more of:
 one or more local electronic memories; 
 one or more local mass-storage devices; 
 one or more remote electronic memories; and 
 one or more remote mass-storage devices. 
 
     
     
       4. The intelligent controller of  claim 1  wherein the current control schedule stored in the memory includes one or more setpoints, each setpoint associated with a time and one or more parameter values. 
     
     
       5. The intelligent controller of  claim 1  wherein the display device is one of
 a local display device included within the intelligent controller or directly connected to the intelligent controller via a wire, cable, optical fiber, or other transmission medium; and 
 a remote display device to which the remaining response time is transmitted by the intelligent controller through a remote-display interface. 
 
     
     
       6. The intelligent controller of  claim 1  wherein the environmental parameter values recorded in memory fit a local model for change in the parameter with time when a fitness metric computed for the environmental parameter values recorded in memory with respect to the local model is within a range of fitness values. 
     
     
       7. The intelligent controller of  claim 6  wherein the fitness metric is a sum of terms, each term a squared difference between an observed parameter value and a parameter value calculated from the local model divided by the parameter value calculated from the local model. 
     
     
       8. The intelligent controller of  claim 6  wherein the fitness metric is a probability computed from a probability distribution function. 
     
     
       9. The intelligent controller of  claim 1  wherein determining a remaining response time using the local model further includes computing the remaining response time from a local-model function, parameterized by one or more parameters, that receives a current time as an argument. 
     
     
       10. The intelligent controller of  claim 1  wherein the local model is a linear function parameterized by a constant slope parameter. 
     
     
       11. The intelligent controller of  claim 1  wherein determining a remaining response time using the global model further includes computing the remaining response time from a global-model function, parameterized by one or more parameters, that receives a current time as an argument. 
     
     
       12. The intelligent controller of  claim 1  wherein the global model is selected from among multiple parameterized functions by selecting a parameterized function and a constant value for each of one or more function parameters that statistically fits environmental parameter values stored in a plot in memory. 
     
     
       13. The intelligent controller of  claim 12  wherein the environmental parameter values stored in the plot in memory are recorded over one or more response times, transferred from the memory to the plot after each of the one or more response times. 
     
     
       14. The intelligent controller of  claim 12  wherein the intelligent controller maintains multiple global models, a global model selected from the multiple global model for use in computing a remaining response time that is associated with conditions closest to current conditions. 
     
     
       15. The intelligent controller of  claim 12  wherein the intelligent controller maintains multiple local models, a local model selected from the multiple local model for use in computing a remaining response time that best fits the environmental parameter values recorded in memory. 
     
     
       16. A method incorporated in the control logic of an intelligent thermostat that includes a processor, a memory that stores a control schedule, a current control schedule stored in the memory, and one or more sensors that sense current values of an environmental parameter, the method comprising:
 at each of multiple points in time,
 recording, in the memory, a current value for the environmental parameter, 
 when the environmental parameter values recorded in memory fit a local model for change in the parameter with time,
 determining a remaining response time using the local model, storing the determined response time in memory, and displaying the remaining response time on a display device, and 
 
 when the environmental parameter values do not fit a local model but fit a global model,
 determining a remaining response time using the global model, storing the determined response time in memory, and displaying the remaining response time on the display device. 
 
 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16  wherein determining a remaining response time using the global model further includes computing the remaining response time from a global-model function, parameterized by one or more parameters, that receives a current time as an argument. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17  wherein the global model is selected from among multiple parameterized functions by selecting a parameterized function and a constant value for each of one or more function parameters that statistically fits environmental parameter values stored in a plot in memory, the environmental parameter values stored in the plot in memory recorded over one or more response times, transferred from the memory to the plot after each of the one or more response times. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 16  wherein the environmental parameter values recorded in memory fit a local model for change in the parameter with time when a fitness metric computed for the environmental parameter values recorded in memory with respect to the local model is within a range of fitness values. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 16  wherein the fitness metric is a sum of terms, each term a squared difference between an observed parameter value and a parameter value calculated from the local model divided by the parameter value calculated from the local model.